Dual band LTE small cell

ABSTRACT

A dual band LTE small cell base station communicates on both licensed bands and unlicensed bands. The small cell base station modifies the communication protocol utilized by the licensed band to enable communication over an unlicensed band. This modification involves replacing the physical (PHY) layer of the licensed band communication protocol with the PHY layer of a to-be-used protocol in an unlicensed band.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 13/523,645, filed Jun. 14, 2012, issued as U.S. Pat. No.8,874,124 on Oct. 28, 2014, and entitled “DUAL BAND LTE SMALL CELL” andis related to commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/494,546 filed Sep. 23, 2014, issued as U.S. Pat. No. 9,591,633 onMar. 7, 2017, filed concurrently herewith and entitled “DUAL BAND LTESMALL CELL,” the disclosures of which are incorporated by referenceherein in their entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to wirelesscommunication systems, and more particularly, to a small cellcommunicating in an unlicensed band utilizing a modified licensed bandprotocol, such as a modified LTE protocol.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

In cellular networks, femtocells are served by low-power base stationsthat are typically installed at residential-type locations, such as auser's home or small business. Femtocells are considered to be effectivemechanisms for increasing network capacity and expanding networkcoverage, but are subject to limitations. Femtocell deployment can becost prohibitive because femtocells implement relatively expensivetechnology and are subject to constraints and/or discrepancies amongcellular operators. Also, femtocells share licensed bands with othernetwork cells, e.g., macrocells, picocells, and other femtocells, andtherefore, are subject to interference as user traffic increases onthose licensed bands.

In an effort to alleviate interference on licensed bands, cellularoperators sometimes provide access points operating on unlicensed bands,e.g., WiFi. However, this practice is restrictive because it often doesnot provide an effective means for voice communications. Also, whilemobile devices may be able to access both licensed bands and unlicensedbands, they cannot access both bands simultaneously. As such, users areforced to choose between one of unlicensed or licensed communications.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

In one aspect of the present disclosure, a small cell base station isimplemented within a network to accommodate high density traffic areassuch as urban areas, shopping malls, enterprise and campus areas,hotspots, and the like. A method of wireless communication includesconsidering, at a small cell base station, an indication to communicateon an unlicensed band. The method also includes selecting, at the smallcell base station, an unlicensed band for communication based upon theconsidering. The method includes modifying, at the small cell basestation, a licensed band communication protocol to enable communicationon the selected unlicensed band. The method further includestransmitting, from the small cell base station, data on the selectedunlicensed band using the modified licensed band communication protocolto a user equipment.

In another aspect of the present disclosure, an apparatus configured forwireless communication includes at least one processor and a memorycoupled to the at least one processor. The processor is configured toreceive and consider an indication to communicate on an unlicensed band.The processor is further configured to select an unlicensed band forcommunication based upon the considering. The processor is alsoconfigured to modify a licensed band communication protocol to enablecommunication on the selected unlicensed band. Also, the processor isconfigured to transmit data on the selected unlicensed band using themodified licensed band communication protocol to user equipment.

In another aspect of the present disclosure, a method of wirelesscommunication includes considering, at a user equipment, an indicationto communicate on an unlicensed band. The method also includestransmitting, from the user equipment, a signal indicating a preferencefor communicating on the unlicensed band. The method further includesreceiving, at the user equipment, data transmitted from a small cellbase station, the data received on an unlicensed band according to amodified licensed band communication protocol.

In another aspect of the present disclosure, an apparatus configured forwireless communication includes at least one processor and a memorycoupled to the at least one processor. The processor is configured toconsider an indication to communicate on an unlicensed band. Theprocessor is also configure to transmit a signal indicating a preferencefor communicating on the unlicensed band. The processor is furtherconfigured to receive data transmitted from a small cell base station,the data received on an unlicensed band according to a modified licensedband communication protocol.

The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technicaladvantages of the present disclosure in order that the detaileddescription of the disclosure that follows may be better understood.Additional features and advantages of the disclosure will be describedhereinafter which form the subject of the claims of the disclosure. Itshould be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the conceptionand specific aspect disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis formodifying or designing other structures for carrying out the samepurposes of the present disclosure. It should also be realized by thoseskilled in the art that such equivalent constructions do not depart fromthe spirit and scope of the disclosure as set forth in the appendedclaims. The novel features which are believed to be characteristic ofthe disclosure, both as to its organization and method of operation,together with further objects and advantages will be better understoodfrom the following description when considered in connection with theaccompanying figures. It is to be expressly understood, however, thateach of the figures is provided for the purpose of illustration anddescription only and is not intended as a definition of the limits ofthe present disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the present disclosure, referenceis now made to the following descriptions taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a communicationssystem according to certain aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a design of a base station/eNodeBand a UE configured according to one aspect of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram illustrating example blocksexecuted to implement an aspect of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram representation of a wireless communicationapparatus configured according to an aspect of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram illustrating example blocksexecuted to implement an aspect of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 6 is a block diagram representation of a wireless communicationapparatus configured according to an aspect of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram illustrating example blocksexecuted to implement an aspect of the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 is a block diagram representation of a wireless communicationapparatus configured according to an aspect of the present disclosure;

FIG. 9 is a functional block diagram illustrating example blocksexecuted to implement an aspect of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 10 is a block diagram representation of a wireless communicationapparatus configured according to an aspect of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

Aspects of the present disclosure provide improved wirelesscommunications in cellular networks by implementing small cells toaccommodate high density traffic areas such as urban areas, shoppingmalls, enterprise and campus areas, hotspots, and the like. According toaspects, a small cell exploits both licensed bands and unlicensed bandsto avoid the otherwise necessary expense of paying for licensed cellularservices and interference on licensed bands as cellular network capacityis exceeded. That is, a small cell utilizes both licensed bands andunlicensed bands to 1) improve network capacity and coverage, while 2)avoiding user interference on licensed bands. According to one aspect, asmall cell base station modifies the communication protocol utilized bythe licensed band to enable communication over an unlicensed band. Thismodification may involve replacing the physical (PHY) layer of thelicensed band communication protocol with the PHY layer of a to-be-usedprotocol in an unlicensed band. According to another aspect, the smallcell base station is configured to communicate over licensed bandsaccording to LTE protocol. In that case, the small cell base station maysubstitute an unlicensed air interface (e.g., 802.11n) for a licensedair interface (e.g., LTE-A). Doing so takes advantage of improvementsassociated with LTE and the freedom associated with unlicensedcommunication.

The techniques described herein may be used for various wirelesscommunication networks such as CDMA, TDMA, FDMA, OFDMA, SC-FDMA andother networks. The terms “network” and “system” are often usedinterchangeably. A CDMA network may implement a radio technology, suchas Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), TelecommunicationsIndustry Association's (TIA's) CDMA2000®, and the like. The UTRAtechnology includes Wideband CDMA (WCDMA) and other variants of CDMA.The CDMA2000® technology includes the IS-2000, IS-95 and IS-856standards from the Electronics Industry Alliance (EIA) and TIA. A TDMAnetwork may implement a radio technology, such as Global System forMobile Communications (GSM). An OFDMA network may implement a radiotechnology, such as Evolved UTRA (E-UTRA), Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB),IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802.20, Flash-OFDMA, andthe like. The UTRA and E-UTRA technologies are part of Universal MobileTelecommunication System (UMTS). 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) andLTE-Advanced (LTE-A) are newer releases of the UMTS that use E-UTRA.UTRA, E-UTRA, UMTS, LTE, LTE-A and GSM are described in documents froman organization called the “3rd Generation Partnership Project” (3GPP).CDMA2000® and UMB are described in documents from an organization calledthe “3rd Generation Partnership Project 2” (3GPP2). The techniquesdescribed herein may be used for the wireless networks and radio accesstechnologies mentioned above, as well as other wireless networks andradio access technologies. For clarity, certain aspects of thetechniques are described below for LTE or LTE-A (together referred to inthe alternative as “LTE/-A”) and use such LTE/-A terminology in much ofthe description below.

FIG. 1 illustrates a wireless communication network 100, which may be anLTE network. Wireless network 100 includes a number of evolved node Bs(eNodeBs) 110 and other network entities. An eNodeB may be a stationthat communicates with user equipment (UE) and may also be referred toas a base station, a node B, an access point, and the like. Each eNodeB110 may provide communication coverage for a particular geographic area.In 3GPP, the term “cell” can refer to this particular geographiccoverage area of an eNodeB and/or an eNodeB subsystem serving thecoverage area, depending on the context in which the term is used.

Wireless network 100 may be a heterogeneous network that includeseNodeBs of different types, e.g., macro eNodeBs, pico eNodeBs, femtoeNodeBs, relays, etc. Accordingly, an eNodeB may provide communicationcoverage for a macro cell, a pico cell, a femtocell, a small cell,and/or other types of cell. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the eNodeBs110 a, 110 b, and 110 c are macro eNodeBs serving macro cells 102 a, 102b and 102 c, respectively. The eNodeB 110 d is a pico eNodeB servingpico cell 102 d. The eNodeBs 110 e and 110 f are small cell eNodeBsserving small cells 102 e and 102 f, respectively. An eNodeB may supportone or multiple (e.g., two, three, four, and the like) cells. A macrocell generally covers a relatively large geographic area (e.g., severalkilometers in radius) and may allow unrestricted access by UEs withservice subscriptions with the network provider. A pico cell generallycovers a relatively smaller geographic area and may allow unrestrictedaccess by UEs with service subscriptions with the network provider. Afemtocell generally covers a relatively small geographic area in aresidential-type setting (e.g., a home or small business) and, inaddition to unrestricted access, may also provide restricted access byUEs having an association with the femtocell (e.g., UEs in a closedsubscriber group (CSG), UEs for users in the home, and the like). Asmall cell covers a relatively small geographic area in an urban-typesetting (e.g., a shopping mall, enterprise area, etc.) and may provideunrestricted access and restricted access by UEs having an associatewith the small cell. Finally, an eNodeB for a macro cell may be referredto as a macro eNodeB, an eNodeB for a pico cell may be referred to as apico eNodeB, an eNodeB for a femtocell may be referred to as a femtoeNodeB or a home eNodeB, and an eNodeB for a small cell may be referredto as a small cell eNodeB.

Preferred embodiments of the present disclosure are thought to be mostadvantageously implemented in a small cell environment, where providingsmall cell eNodeB and UE communications over licensed and unlicensedbands will relieve network burden from particularly high traffic densityin those environments. However, aspects of the present disclosure may beadvantageously implemented in other cell environments, such asfemtocells. Small cell eNodeBs 110 e and 110 f of the illustrated systemcomprise a small base station providing operation mimicking or emulatingthat of a base station, such as base station 110 c. That is, small celleNodeBs 110 e and 110 f provide an air interface to mobile devices oruser equipment, such as 120 e, which functions the same as the airinterface provided by a typical base station (e.g., utilizesfrequencies, channels, protocols, etc. native to the network), albeit atperhaps lower transmission power due to the typically smaller size ofthe small cell coverage area. For example, small cell eNodeBs 110 e and110 f may comprise a universal mobile telecommunications (UMTS)configured base station containing a Node B, RNC, and general packetradio service support node (GSN) with Ethernet for backhaul throughpacket switched network 100. Additionally or alternatively, small celleNodeBs 110 e and 110 f may comprise a configuration compatible withother communications solutions, such as GSM, CDMA2000, WiMAX, and/orWiFi.

It should be appreciated that the coverage areas provided by eNodeBs ofnetwork 100 may not provide adequate coverage of all areas in whichusers wish to operate mobile devices for communication services. Forexample, coverage gaps, coverage shadows, etc. may exist in variousareas, such as within a building, on the far side of a mountain or otherterrain, etc. Likewise, coverage may not be adequate in certain areas toaccommodate high traffic density, such as in dense urban areas, etc.Accordingly, small cell base stations, such as small cell eNodeBs 110 eand 110 f, are utilized to provide communication services within areasotherwise not serviced or inadequately serviced by network 100. A UE maybe within the coverage of multiple eNodeBs. One of these eNodeBs may beselected to serve the UE. The serving eNodeB may be selected based onvarious criteria such as received power, path loss, signal-to-noiseratio (SNR), etc.

Aspects of network 100 provide a packet switched network data gatewayfacilitating data packet communication between devices, such as smallcell eNodeBs 110 e and 110 f, and other devices of network 100. Forexample, network 100 may provide interfacing, link security, protocolconversion, data packet routing, and/or other functions for network edgedevices, such as small cell eNodeBs 110 e and 110 f.

A network controller 130 may couple to a set of eNodeBs 110 and providecoordination and control for these eNodeBs 110. The network controller130 may communicate with the eNodeBs 110 via a backhaul. The eNodeBs 110may also communicate with one another, e.g., directly or indirectly viaan X2 interface, wireless backhaul or a wireline backhaul, and the like.

UEs 120 are dispersed throughout the wireless network 100, and each UEmay be stationary or mobile. A UE may also be referred to as a terminal,a mobile station, a subscriber unit, a station, or the like. A UE may bea cellular phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a wireless modem,a wireless communication device, a handheld device, a laptop computer, acordless phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a tablet, or thelike. A UE may be able to communicate with macro eNodeBs, pico eNodeBs,small cell eNodeBs, relays, and the like. In FIG. 1, a solid line withdouble arrows indicates desired transmissions between a UE and a servingeNodeB, which is an eNodeB designated to serve the UE on the downlinkand/or uplink. A dashed line with double arrows indicates interferingtransmissions between a UE and an eNodeB.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a design of a base station/eNodeB 110 and aUE 120, which may be one of the base stations/eNodeBs and one of the UEsin FIG. 1. The base station 110 may be small cell eNodeB 110 e or 110 fin FIG. 1, and the UE 120 may be the UE 120 e. The base station 110 maybe equipped with antennas 234 a through 234 t, and the UE 120 may beequipped with antennas 252 a through 252 r.

At the base station 110, a transmit processor 220 may receive data froma data source 212 and control information from a controller/processor240. The control information may be for the PBCH, PCFICH, PHICH, PDCCH,etc. The data may be for the PDSCH, etc. The processor 220 may process(e.g., encode and symbol map) the data and control information to obtaindata symbols and control symbols, respectively. The processor 220 mayalso generate reference symbols, e.g., for the PSS, SSS, andcell-specific reference signal. A transmit (TX) multiple-inputmultiple-output (MIMO) processor 230 may perform spatial processing(e.g., precoding) on the data symbols, the control symbols, and/or thereference symbols, if applicable, and may provide output symbol streamsto the modulators (MODs) 232 a through 232 t. Each modulator 232 mayprocess a respective output symbol stream (e.g., for OFDM, etc.) toobtain an output sample stream. Each modulator 232 may further process(e.g., convert to analog, amplify, filter, and upconvert) the outputsample stream to obtain a downlink signal. Downlink signals frommodulators 232 a through 232 t may be transmitted via the antennas 234 athrough 234 t, respectively.

At the UE 120, the antennas 252 a through 252 r may receive the downlinksignals from the base station 110 and may provide received signals tothe demodulators (DEMODs) 254 a through 254 r, respectively. Eachdemodulator 254 may condition (e.g., filter, amplify, downconvert, anddigitize) a respective received signal to obtain input samples. Eachdemodulator 254 may further process the input samples (e.g., for OFDM,etc.) to obtain received symbols. A MIMO detector 256 may obtainreceived symbols from all the demodulators 254 a through 254 r, performMIMO detection on the received symbols if applicable, and providedetected symbols. A receive processor 258 may process (e.g., demodulate,deinterleave, and decode) the detected symbols, provide decoded data forthe UE 120 to a data sink 260, and provide decoded control informationto a controller/processor 280.

On the uplink, at the UE 120, a transmit processor 264 may receive andprocess data (e.g., for the PUSCH) from a data source 262 and controlinformation (e.g., for the PUCCH) from the controller/processor 280. Theprocessor 264 may also generate reference symbols for a referencesignal. The symbols from the transmit processor 264 may be precoded by aTX MIMO processor 266 if applicable, further processed by the modulators254 a through 254 r (e.g., for SC-FDM, etc.), and transmitted to thebase station 110. At the base station 110, the uplink signals from theUE 120 may be received by the antennas 234, processed by thedemodulators 232, detected by a MIMO detector 236 if applicable, andfurther processed by a receive processor 238 to obtain decoded data andcontrol information sent by the UE 120. The processor 238 may providethe decoded data to a data sink 239 and the decoded control informationto the controller/processor 240. The base station 110 can send messagesto other base stations, for example, over an X2 interface.

The controllers/processors 240 and 280 may direct the operation at thebase station 110 and the UE 120, respectively. The processor 240 and/orother processors and modules at the base station 110 may perform ordirect the execution of various processes for the techniques describedherein. The processor 280 and/or other processors and modules at the UE120 may also perform or direct the execution of the functional blocksrelating to base stations and/or other processes for the techniquesdescribed herein. The memories 242 and 282 may store data and programcodes for the base station 110 and the UE 120, respectively. A scheduler244 may schedule UEs for data transmission on the downlink and/oruplink.

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a small cell basestation, such as small cell eNodeB 110 e, communicates with a UE, suchas UE 120 e, over an unlicensed band utilizing LTE. The small cell basestation may utilize the unlicensed frequency band for both the uplink(UL) and downlink (DL), e.g., shared by UL and DL according to FDD orTDD communication schemes. According to one aspect, controller/processor240 of eNodeB 11 e is programmed in a manner such that the frequencyband (licensed or unlicensed) that will be used to modulate signalstransmitted by antennas 234 can be selected automatically or manually bythe user. For example, controller/processor 240 may be designed in amanner so that it generates signals to be transmitted over a licensedfrequency band of a mobile service provider or over an unlicensed band,or both. Such unlicensed frequency bands may include an (ISM) band.Also, transmit processor 220 and receive processor 238 may also bedesigned in a manner so that they process signals over various frequencybands.

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a small cell eNodeBand UE communicate with one another using the LTE/LTE-A protocol over 1)an otherwise unavailable or under-utilized unlicensed frequency band, inaddition to 2) typical licensed frequency bands reserved for LTE (e.g.,LTE FDD frequency bands 1-25 and LTE TDD frequency bands 33-43).Examples of unlicensed bands used by the small cell eNodeB and UEinclude ISM bands such as those centered upon or about 2.4 GHz, 5.8 GHz,etc. As such, the small cell eNodeB and UE may communicate using LTE inunlicensed bands normally used by, e.g., WLAN devices, 802.11ac devices,802.11c devices, cordless phones, and the like. Other unlicensed bandsthat may be utilized include locally unused satellite and TV bands.According to at least one implementation, the LTE protocol (e.g., theLTE radio stack) can be utilized by the small cell eNodeB and UEbecause, e.g., LTE is very close in modulation to 802.11ac and 802.11nand would fit within the 802.11ac and 802.11n channel structure of 20MHz, 40 MHz and 80 MHz wide channels. Further, utilizing LTE on an ISMband is an attractive scheme because ISM bands are typically open foruse if applicable regulation requirements are satisfied.

The ability of the small cell eNodeB and the UE to utilize LTEcommunications on different bands (such as an ISM band) in addition totraditional LTE licensed bands provides several advantages. Licensedfrequency spectrum is operator-specific. As such, it is difficult toprovide UEs that effectively operate across different operators. UEsconfigured to operate according to the concepts described herein provideoff-the-shelf consumer devices that are not constrained by a specificoperator. Also, the increase in cellular users has created additionalneed for capacity and a shortage of licensed spectrum. In being able toswitch from high traffic licensed frequency bands while still utilizingLTE, the small cell eNodeB and UE provide additional capacity whileavoiding undue burden on the licensed bands.

Decisions to initiate, maintain, and/or alternate between LTEcommunications on a licensed and unlicensed frequency bands can be madeat both the small cell eNodeB and the UE. These decisions may be basedupon different metrics or qualities (such as CQI, SNR, etc.) of arespective band measured at either of the small cell eNodeB and/or UE.Further, each of the eNodeB and UE may develop a priority of preferredbands, where, e.g., not only is a priority determined between a licensedand unlicensed band, but the available unlicensed bands are furtherprioritized with respect to one another. In this way, a small eNodeB maycommunicate with one or more UEs on both a set of licensed frequencybands and a set of unlicensed frequency bands in an optimal way.

Each of the small eNodeB and UE may perform one or a combination ofsteps to avoid or mitigate interference from devices communicating on ato-be-selected or previously-selected unlicensed band. Doing so allowsthe small eNodeB and UE to communicate in the unlicensed band using LTEwith little or no modification to the LTE radio stack. By way ofexample, the small eNodeB and/or UE may perform a “monitor” function onone or more of the available unlicensed bands to determine which, ifany, are more suitable. The monitor function may comprise monitoring oneor more unlicensed bands to determine what devices are operating on thatband, whether any communication is periodic or aperiodic, and thestrength of interference on those bands. Further, the monitor functionmay be performed aperiodically (where, e.g., the small eNodeB and UEcommunicate on a licensed band), periodically (e.g., according to apreset interval or according to operator or system preferences), orcontinuously (where, e.g., the increased power requirements arejustified by the extra bandwidth features).

The small eNodeB and/or UE may detect interference on one or moreunlicensed bands, determine whether the detected interference isperiodic or aperiodic, and then schedule LTE communications on the bandto avoid the interference. On the other hand, the small eNodeB and/or UEmay increase transmit power if interference on the unlicensed bandcannot effectively be avoided. Additionally, the small eNodeB and/or UEmay schedule transmission gaps, similar to a TDD scheme, to allow otherdevices to operate one the unlicensed band.

Further, according to one implementation, the small eNodeB and UE mayexploit both the licensed and unlicensed frequency bands while stillavoiding undue burden on the licensed spectrum. The small eNodeB and/orUE may communicate on shared bands where, e.g., control information iscommunicated on the licensed band while data is transmitted on theunlicensed bands.

According to another implementation, a separate device such as acontroller may be utilized to coordinate communication between the smalleNodeB and UE and other devices operating on the unlicensed band. Thecontroller may be implemented at, e.g., the small eNodeB or the LTE corenetwork, and may obtain device and channel information from the smalleNodeB, UE, external network devices operating on the unlicensed band,and the like. In this way, the small eNodeB or LTE network is connectedto the controller, which allocates and manages the spectrum utilizationin a given unlicensed band.

The interference avoidance or mitigations steps described herein may beperformed not only to identify a suitable unlicensed band, but also toidentify a preferred unlicensed band among several unlicensed bands.Accordingly, a rank or priority of unlicensed bands may be compiled suchthat the small cell eNodeB and/or UE optimize their communications whendeciding to utilize an unlicensed band. Further, such steps may berepeated so that the unlicensed bands are re-prioritized over time tofurther inform the small eNodeB, UE, or controller of an optimalunlicensed band for communication.

With the above in mind, consider the example where a small cell eNodeBserves as an access point for a dense urban area. In doing so, the smalleNodeB detects a new UE within its coverage area via, e.g., datareceived from a neighboring eNodeB and/or the UE itself. During aninitiation or handoff procedure, the small cell eNodeB determines thenew UE is capable of multi-band communication, including unlicensedcommunication in one or more ISM bands. The small cell eNodeB furtherdetermines traffic density is at or near a threshold (which may be setby the core network, the small eNodeB itself, and the like).Accordingly, the small cell eNodeB sends an instruction or notification(perhaps via a control channel in the license frequency band) thatfurther communication will occur over the unlicensed band. Animplementation of this process is described herein with reference to thefollowing Figures.

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram 300 illustrating example blocksexecuted to implement aspects of the present disclosure. At block 301 asmall cell eNodeB, such as small cell eNodeB 110 e shown in FIG. 1 andoperating within a cellular network, considers communicating using theLTE protocol in one or more unlicensed bands to reduce or avoid anincrease in traffic on licensed bands. The consideration may beinitiated by steps performed at the small cell eNodeB or data receivedfrom a UE or controller. For example, the consideration may be initiatedupon a request or instruction received from a UE, such as UE 120 e,shown in FIG. 1, capable of operating in both licensed and unlicensedbands. In either case, the consideration may originate from anevaluation of channel quality and/or availability for both the licensedand unlicensed bands or a comparison of those qualities between thebands. Such evaluations or comparisons can be performed at either thesmall cell eNodeB, the UE, or controller and may be based on variousmetrics. For example, a UE may measure channel and interferenceinformation for each band and select or prioritize the bands accordingto good performance (e.g., a high signal-to-interference plus noiseratio (SINR)). The UE may then transmit the information for each bandback to the small cell eNodeB. The small eNodeB may use such informationreceived from one or more UEs to coordinate communication among severalUEs in both the licensed and unlicensed bands in a way to maximizecapacity without undue burden on the licensed spectrum. It should beappreciated that in addition to information received from the UE, thesmall cell eNodeB may utilize additional information available at thebase station, e.g., the traffic load information on each band, amount oftraffic requests queued at the base station for each frequency band,whether frequency bands are overused, and/or how long a UE has beenwaiting to send information.

At block 302 the small cell eNodeB prioritizes available licensed bandsand unlicensed bands for communication with the UE. if the small celleNodeB determines that each available unlicensed band is not suitablefor communication, it may determine no priority can be formed and willinitiate or maintain communication with the UE on the licensed band. Onthe other hand, where a prioritization is appropriate, it may beperformed, in part, on the consideration information gathered at block301. The small cell eNodeB may form a priority between a licensed andunlicensed band, and further form a priority between multiple unlicensedbands. That is, the small cell eNodeB may measure or collect theconsideration information at block 301 for several bands (e.g., the 2.4GHz and 5.8 GHz bands) and determine which is most suitable forcommunication with the UE. It should be appreciated that the prioritymay be dynamic, where the small cell eNodeB re-prioritizes the availablebands on a periodic or aperiodic basis. Where the priority changes, theeNodeB may initiate steps to switch communications with the UE toanother unlicensed band where other considerations so allow.

At block 303 the small cell eNodeB optimizes communication with the UEon the unlicensed band having highest priority. Optimizing thecommunication involves performing steps to avoid or mitigateinterference to/from other devices operating on the selected unlicensedband. Doing so allows the small cell eNodeB and UE to utilize LTE in theselected unlicensed band with little or no modification to the LTE radiostack. As discussed herein, the small cell eNodeB may monitor eachunlicensed band to determine availability, signal quality, interferencecharacteristics, and the like on each unlicensed band. The small celleNodeB may also identify external network devices operating in theunlicensed bands and determine their operating characteristics. As such,the small cell eNodeB minimizes impact to preexisting unlicensed usersby adjusting, e.g., transmit power, carrier aggregation, channel accessparameters, etc., for itself and the UE. By way of example, the smallcell eNodeB may transmit control information, during both channel accessand data transmission phases, on control channels in the licensed bandbased on the fact that the licensed band is more reliable than theunlicensed band. Also, having knowledge of multiple networks operatingin the unlicensed band, the small cell eNodeB may coordinatecommunications among them using TDD and/or FDD techniques. The smallcell eNodeB may further transmit information to a controller located atthe core network or collocated at the small cell eNodeB, allowing thecontroller to facilitate coordination among various devices (e.g.,devices on an external network) over the unlicensed band.

At block 304 the small cell eNodeB instructs the UE to communicate overthe unlicensed band having the highest priority utilizing the LTEprotocol according to the optimized parameters formed by the small celleNodeB or controller at block 303. The small cell eNodeB may sendfurther instructions regarding, e.g., bandwidth allocation, whichcoding/modulation rates to use, and the like, based on the stepsperformed at blocks 301-303.

At block 305 the small cell eNodeB transmits and receives data to/fromthe UE over an unlicensed band according to blocks 301-305.

At block 306 the small cell eNodeB re-prioritizes licensed andunlicensed bands according to subsequent evaluations and/or comparisonsof those bands. Based on those evaluation and/or comparisons, the smallcell eNodeB may elect to continue communication with the UE over thecurrently-used unlicensed band, switch communications to a newhigher-ranking unlicensed band, or switch communication to the licensedband. Where a new band is selected, the small cell eNodeB instructs ornotifies the UE and/or the controller, causing each to take appropriatesteps to effectuate the new selection.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating apparatus 400 for wirelesscommunication. Apparatus 400 may include one or more components orportions of small cell eNodeB 110 e. Apparatus 400 also includes modules401, 402, 403, 404, 405, and 406 which are executed to provideoperations as described herein. Each of modules 401, 402, 403, 404, 405,and 406 may comprise software, program code, or other logic (e.g., ASIC,FPGA, etc.), as may be operable upon or executed by processor 401 toprovide the functions described below.

Module 401 operates to consider communicating using the LTE protocol inone or more unlicensed bands to reduce or avoid an increase in trafficon licensed bands. The consideration may be initiated by steps performedat the small cell eNodeB or data received from a UE or controller. Wherethe consideration is initiated on data received from the UE, module 401,executed by a processor of apparatus 400, controls the components ofapparatus 400 including antennas, demodulators (not shown), and the liketo effectuate the consideration. Signals received from a UE and/or datameasured at the small cell eNodeB are decoded and processed throughexecution of module 401 to extract the indication. Module 401 furtheroperates to use information received from one or more UEs, a controller,of information collected at apparatus 400 to coordinate communicationamong several UEs in both the licensed and unlicensed bands in a way tomaximize capacity without undue burden on the licensed spectrum.

Module 402 operates under control of a processor of apparatus 400 toprioritize available licensed bands and unlicensed bands forcommunication with the UE. If one or more unlicensed bands are suitablefor communication, module 402 operates to form a priority among thelicensed bands and unlicensed bands and further form a priority amongthe unlicensed bands. In doing so, module 402 measures or collects theconsideration information from module 401 for several bands anddetermines which is most suitable for communication with the UE.

Module 403 operates under the control or a process or apparatus 400 tooptimize communication with the UE on the unlicensed band having highestpriority. Doing so allows the small cell eNodeB and UE to utilize LTE inthe selected unlicensed band with little or no modification to the LTEradio stack.

Module 404 operates under the control or a process or apparatus 400 toinstruct the UE to communicate over the unlicensed band having thehighest priority utilizing the LTE protocol according to the optimizedparameters formed by the small cell eNodeB. Module 404 further operatesto send instructions regarding, e.g., bandwidth allocation, whichcoding/modulation rates to use, and the like.

Module 405 operates to transmit and receive data to/from the UE over anunlicensed band according to operations of modules 401-404.

Module 406 operates under the control or a process or apparatus 400 tore-prioritize licensed and unlicensed bands according to subsequentevaluations and/or comparisons of those bands. Based on those evaluationand/or comparisons, module 406 further operates to cause apparatus 400to elect to continue communication with the UE over the currently-usedunlicensed band, switch communications to a new higher-rankingunlicensed band, or switch communication to the licensed band. Where anew band is selected, module 406 further operates to instruct or notifythe UE and/or the controller, causing each to take appropriate steps toeffectuate the new selection.

FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram 500 illustrating example blocksexecuted to implement one aspect of the present disclosure. Where asmall cell eNodeB such as small cell eNodeB 110 e is configured asdescribed above, a UE such as UE 120 e may initiate communications usingunlicensed frequency bands. At block 501, the UE considers communicatingon one or more licensed or unlicensed bands. The consideration may beinitiated by steps performed at the UE or data received from a smallcell eNodeB or controller. For example, the consideration may beinitiated upon a request or instruction received from a small celleNodeB, capable of operating in both licensed and unlicensed bands. Ineither case, the consideration may originate from an evaluation ofchannel quality and/or availability for both the licensed and unlicensedbands or a comparison of those qualities between the bands. Suchevaluations or comparisons can be performed at either the small celleNodeB, the UE, or controller and may be based on various metrics. Forexample, a UE may measure channel and interference information for eachband and select or prioritize the bands according to good performance(e.g., a high signal-to-interference plus noise ratio (SINR)). The UEmay then transmit the information for each band back to the small celleNodeB.

At block 502 the UE forms a priority among available licensed bands andunlicensed bands. The priority may measure or collect the considerationinformation at block 301 for several bands (e.g., the 2.4 GHz and 5.8GHz bands) and determine which is most suitable for communication. Itshould be appreciated that the priority may be dynamic, where the UEre-prioritizes the available bands on a periodic or aperiodic basis.Where the priority changes, the UE may initiate steps to switchcommunications to another unlicensed band where other considerations soallow. The UE may transmit the priority information described above to asmall cell eNodeB and/or controller on a periodic basis or aperiodicbasis (e.g., in response to a request for such information from thesmall cell eNodeB and/or controller or upon the occurrence of athreshold or condition on one or more of the bands).

At block 503 the UE optimizes communication with the small cell eNodeBon the unlicensed band having highest priority. The steps to optimizecommunications with small cell eNodeB may be performed in response toinstructions received from the small cell eNodeB, or may be initiated orperformed according to instructions residing at the UE itself. In eitherevent, the optimizing steps monitoring unlicensed bands to determineavailability, signal quality, interference characteristics, and thelike, allowing the small cell eNodeB and UE to utilize LTE in theselected unlicensed band with little or no modification to the LTE radiostack. The UE minimizes impact to preexisting unlicensed users byadjusting, e.g., transmit power, carrier aggregation, channel accessparameters, etc. By way of example, the UE may transmit controlinformation, during both channel access and data transmission phases, oncontrol channels in the licensed band and data on the unlicensed band.

At block 504 the UE to communicates with the small cell eNodeB over theunlicensed band having the highest priority utilizing the LTE protocolaccording to the optimized parameters. Communications may be initiatedupon instructions or notifications received from the eNodeB, or inresponse to an instruction, notification, or request sent from theeNodeB. The UE may further send preference information to the small celleNodeB regarding preferred bandwidth allocation, coding/modulationrates, etc., or may receive those parameters from the eNodeB orcontroller.

At block 505 the UE re-prioritizes licensed and unlicensed bandsaccording to subsequent evaluations and/or comparisons of those bands.Based on those evaluation and/or comparisons, the UE may transmit newpriority information to the small cell eNodeB and/or controller toinitiate communication on a higher ranking band.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating some aspects of an apparatusaccording to the present disclosure. Apparatus 600 for wirelesscommunication (e.g., one or more components or portions of UE 120 e) isconfigured for communicating over a licensed bands or unlicensed bandwith a small cell eNodeB. Apparatus 600 includes modules 601, 602, 603,604, and 605 that cooperate to provide operations as described hereinwith respect to UEs. Each of modules 601, 602, 603, 604, and 605 maycomprise software, program code, or other logic (e.g., applicationspecific integrated circuit (ASIC), field programmable gate array(FPGA), etc.), as may be operable upon or executed using a processor toprovide the functions described below.

Module 601 operates to consider communicating on one or more licensed orunlicensed bands. The consideration may be initiated by steps performedat apparatus 600 or data received from a small cell eNodeB orcontroller. For example, the consideration may be initiated upon arequest or instruction received from a small cell eNodeB, capable ofoperating in both licensed and unlicensed bands. In either case, theconsideration may originate from an evaluation of channel quality and/oravailability for both the licensed and unlicensed bands or a comparisonof those qualities between the bands. Such evaluations or comparisonscan be performed at either apparatus 600, a small cell eNodeB, orcontroller and may be based on various metrics. For example, apparatus600 may measure channel and interference information for each band andselect or prioritize the bands according to good performance (e.g., ahigh signal-to-interference plus noise ratio (SINR)). Apparatus 600 maythen transmit the information for each band back to the small celleNodeB.

Module 602 operates to form a priority among available licensed bandsand unlicensed bands. The priority may measure or collect theconsideration information at block 301 for several bands (e.g., the 2.4GHz and 5.8 GHz bands) and determine which is most suitable forcommunication. It should be appreciated that the priority may bedynamic, where module 602 operates to re-prioritize the available bandson a periodic or aperiodic basis. Where the priority changes, apparatus600 may initiate steps to switch communications to another unlicensedband where other considerations so allow.

Module 603 operates to optimize communication with the small cell eNodeBon the unlicensed band having highest priority. Module 603 may optimizecommunications with small cell eNodeB in response to instructionsreceived from the small cell eNodeB, or may be initiated or performedaccording to instructions residing at the UE itself.

Module 604 operates to communicate with the small cell eNodeB over theunlicensed band having the highest priority utilizing the LTE protocolaccording to the optimized parameters. Communications may be initiatedupon instructions or notifications received from the eNodeB, or inresponse to an instruction, notification, or request sent from theeNodeB. Module 604 may further operate send preference information tothe small cell eNodeB regarding preferred bandwidth allocation,coding/modulation rates, etc., or may receive those parameters from theeNodeB or controller.

Module 605 operates to re-prioritize licensed and unlicensed bandsaccording to subsequent evaluations and/or comparisons of those bands.Based on those evaluation and/or comparisons, apparatus 600 may transmitnew priority information to the small cell eNodeB and/or controller toinitiate communication on a higher ranking band.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a small celleNodeB 110 e may enable communication with UE 120 by substituting theoriginal licensed air interface within the PHY layer with the unlicensedair interface. That is, small cell eNodeB 110 e replaces the LTE-A airinterface with one of the ISM, 80211ac, or 802.11n air interface in itsPHY layer. In this way, small cell eNodeB 110 e may be viewed as adual-band small cell operating in both licensed and unlicensed bandswith an LTE air interface. At the MAC layer, packets are assignedaccording to, e.g., a predetermined priority or preference. For example,MAC layer packets may be assigned to the band which is not intransmission. If no bands are utilized for transmission, packets may berandomly assigned to one of the bands according to default settings,user preferences, and the like. According to this modification, Smallcell eNodeB 110 e is seamless in the network by appearing as anunmodified cellular base station to the core network while serving as anunlicensed access point to mobile devices and the like.

FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram 700 illustrating example blocksexecuted to implement aspects of the present disclosure. At block 701 asmall cell eNodeB, such as small cell eNodeB 110 e shown in FIG. 1 andoperating within a cellular network as an LTE small cell, considers anindication to communicate in an unlicensed band. The indication may bein various forms including, e.g., a request or instruction received froma UE, such as UE 120 e, shown in FIG. 1, capable of operating in bothlicensed and unlicensed bands. The indication may also originate at thesmall cell eNodeB. In either case, the indication may originate from anevaluation of channel quality and/or availability for both the licensedand unlicensed bands or a comparison of those qualities between the twobands. Such evaluations or comparisons can be performed at either thesmall cell eNodeB or the mobile device and may be based on variousmetrics. For example, a UE may measure channel and interferenceinformation for each band and select or prioritize the bands accordingto good performance (e.g., a high signal-to-interference plus noiseratio (SINR)). The UE may then feed the information for each band backto the small cell eNodeB. It should be appreciated that in addition toinformation received from the UE, the small cell eNodeB may utilizeadditional information available at the base station, e.g., the trafficload information on each band, amount of traffic requests queued at thebase station for each frequency band, whether frequency bands areoverused, and/or how long a subscriber has been waiting to sendinformation.

At block 702 the small cell eNodeB elects to communicate with the UEover an unlicensed band. The election may be based on the informationdiscussed above with respect to block 701.

At block 703 the small cell eNodeB optimizes communication on theelected unlicensed band. In doing so, the small cell eNodeB may not onlyutilize information gathered from the comparisons and/or evaluationsbetween the licensed bands and the unlicensed bands performed at block701, but may take steps to optimize its communication in view of otherdevices operating on unlicensed bands. That is, at block 703, the smallcell eNodeB minimizes impact to preexisting unlicensed users byadjusting, e.g., channel access parameters for itself and the UE. By wayof example, the small cell eNodeB may transmit control information,during both channel access and data transmission phases and the like, oncontrol channels in the licensed band based on the fact that thelicensed band is more reliable than the unlicensed band. Also, havingknowledge of multiple networks operating in the unlicensed band, thesmall cell eNodeB may coordinate communications among them using TDD andor FDD techniques.

At block 704 the small cell eNodeB instructs the UE to communicate overthe unlicensed band. The small cell eNodeB may send further instructionsregarding, e.g., bandwidth allocation, which coding/modulation rates touse, and the like, based on the steps performed at blocks 701 and 703.

At block 705 the small cell eNodeB performs processing to modify thelicensed band communication protocol so that it may communicate usingthat licensed band protocol over an unlicensed band. The processing maybe performed by processing logic that may comprise hardware (e.g.,dedicated logic, circuitry, etc.), software (such as that which runs on,for example, a general purpose computer system or dedicated machine), ora combination of both such as that described with reference to FIG. 2.According to one aspect, LTE-A is adopted as the cellular air interfacefor the licensed band and one of, e.g., 802.11ac, 802.11n, ISN isadopted as the air interface for the unlicensed band. In that case, thesmall cell eNodeB enables communication with mobile device bysubstituting the original licensed air interface within the PHY layerwith the unlicensed air interface. That is, the small cell eNodeBreplaces the LTE-A air interface with the, e.g., 802.11ac, 802.11n, ISNair interface in its PHY layer. In this way, the small cell eNodeB maybe viewed as a dual-band small cell operating in both licensed andunlicensed bands with an LTE air interface. According to thismodification, the small cell eNodeB is seamless in the network byappearing as an unmodified cellular base station to the core networkwhile serving as an unlicensed hotspot or access point to mobile devicesand the like.

At block 706 the small cell eNodeB transmits data to the UE over anunlicensed band where the data is formatted according to the processesexecuted at step 705.

At block 707 the small cell eNodeB performs evaluations and/orcomparisons of the licensed and unlicensed bands. Based on thoseevaluation and/or comparisons, the small cell eNodeB may subsequentlyelect to continue communication with the UE over the unlicensed band, ormay elect to switch communications back to the licensed band. In theevent the small cell eNodeB elects to communicate over the licensedband, the small cell eNodeB may perform modified processes executed atblock 704 where the unlicensed air interface is replaced with thelicensed air interface.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating apparatus 800 for wirelesscommunication. Apparatus 800 may include one or more components orportions of small cell eNodeB 110 e. Apparatus 800 also includes modules801, 802, 803, 804, 805, and 806 which are executed to provideoperations as described herein. Each of modules 801, 802, 803, 804, 805,and 806 may comprise software, program code, or other logic (e.g., ASIC,FPGA, etc.), as may be operable upon or executed by processor 801 toprovide the functions described below.

Module 801 operates to consider an indication to communicate in anunlicensed band. The consideration may be based on data received in anuplink communication from a UE or may be based on information collectedat the small cell eNodeB. Where the indication is received from the UE,module 801 executed by a processor of apparatus 800, controls thecomponents of apparatus 800 including antennas, demodulators (notshown), and the like. Signals received from a UE and/or data measured atthe small cell eNodeB is decoded and processed through execution ofmodule 801 to extract the indication.

Module 802 operates under control of a processor of apparatus 800 toelect to communicate with the mobile device over an unlicensed band. Theelection is based on the information discussed above with respect tomodule 801.

Module 803 operates to optimize unlicensed band communications in viewof preexisting unlicensed users. Doing so may be accomplished byadjusting, e.g., channel access parameters for itself and the UE.

Module 804 operates to instruct the UE to communicate over theunlicensed band. The instruction may comprise a notification andadditional information. For example, the small cell eNodeB may sendfurther instructions regarding, e.g., bandwidth allocation information,which coding schemes/modulation rates to use, and the like.

Module 805 operates to modify the communication protocol utilized by thesmall cell eNodeB so that it may communicate using protocol over anunlicensed band. Module 804 further operates to substitute the originallicensed air interface within the PHY with the unlicensed air interface.In doing so, module 804 replaces, e.g., the LTE-A air interface with the802.11n air interface in its PHY layer.

Module 806 operates to transmit data to the UE over an unlicensed bandwhere the data is formatted according to the operations performed bymodule 804.

Module 807 operates to evaluate and/or compare of the licensed andunlicensed bands. Module 807 further operates to subsequently elect tocontinue communication with the UE over the unlicensed band, or elect toswitch communications back to the licensed band. In the event the smallcell eNodeB elects to communicate over the licensed band, the small celleNodeB may perform modified operations of those performed by module 804where the unlicensed air interface is replaced with the licensed airinterface.

FIG. 9 is a functional block diagram 900 illustrating example blocksexecuted to implement one aspect of the present disclosure. Where asmall cell eNodeB such as small cell eNodeB 110 e is configured asdescribed above, a mobile device such as UE 120 e may initiatecommunications using unlicensed frequency bands. At block 901 a UE, suchas UE 120 e shown in FIG. 1 and operating within a cellular network,considers an indication to communicate in an unlicensed band. Theindication may be based on information relating to available licensedand unlicensed bands as described above. The indication may further bebased on detecting of the presence of an unlicensed small cell eNodeB inproximity to the UE.

At block 902 the UE transmits a signal to the small cell eNodeB forprompting communication on the unlicensed band. The signal prompt may bebased on the UE's determined preference for the unlicensed bandaccording to information collected, e.g., as described above.

At block 903 the UE receives an instruction or request to establish aconnection between the UE and small cell eNodeB on the unlicensed band.Once the communication is established, the small cell eNodeB may sendconfirmation and the like as necessary to initiate communications. Theinitialization data received from the small cell eNodeB may be receivedin the unlicensed band or licensed band. In either case, theinstructions will be sufficient to instruct the UE to continuesubsequent communications in the unlicensed band.

At block 904 the UE receives modified data transmissions from the smallcell eNodeB. The modified data the transmissions have been processed bythe small cell eNodeB by substituting the original licensed airinterface within the PHY layer with the unlicensed air interface. In thecase described above, the small cell eNodeB replaces the LTE-A airinterface with one of, e.g., 802.11ac, 802.11n, ISN air interface in itsPHY layer.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating some aspects of an apparatusaccording to the present disclosure. Apparatus 1000 for wirelesscommunication (e.g., one or more components or portions of UE 120 e) isconfigured for communicating over a licensed band or unlicensed bandwith a small cell eNodeB. Apparatus 1000 includes modules 1001, 1002,1003, 1004, and 1005 that cooperate to provide operations as describedherein with respect to UEs. Each of modules 1001, 1002, 1003, 1004, and1005 may comprise software, program code, or other logic (e.g.,application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), field programmable gatearray (FPGA), etc.), as may be operable upon or executed using aprocessor 1001 to provide the functions described below.

Module 1001 operates to consider an indication to communicate in anunlicensed band. The indication may be based on information relating toavailable licensed and unlicensed bands as described above. Theindication may further be based on detection of the presence of anunlicensed small cell eNodeB in proximity to the UE.

Module 1002 operates to generate indication to the small cell eNodeB forprompting communication on the unlicensed band. The signal prompt may bebased on the UE's determined preference for the unlicensed bandaccording to information collected as described above. The generatedindication may comprise an indicator, such as an indicator bit, thatcorresponds to the UE's preference. For example, an indicator bitcorresponding to the UE's preference among available bands and/orsubchannels be set to 1 to indicate preference of an unlicensed band. Onthe other hand, that bit may be set to 0 to indicate preference of alicensed band.

Module 1003 operates to transmit the indication generated by module 1002to a station in communication with apparatus 1000 (e.g., base station110 e). According to one aspect, module 1003 causes apparatus 1000 totransmit the indication on a periodic basis to ensure that communicationbetween the UE and base station is maintained and optimized over time.Additionally or alternatively, module 1003 may cause apparatus 1000 totransmit the indication periodically, perhaps upon the occurrence of anevent or condition, such as handover, loss of power, loss of signal, andthe like. Providing such periodic and/or aperiodic transmission of theindicator helps ensure that communications between the apparatus (e.g.,UE 120 e) and other station (e.g. base station 110 e) are optimized overchanging conditions.

Module 1004 operates to receive an instruction or request to set up aconnection between the UE and small cell eNodeB on the unlicensed band.Once the communication is set up, the unlicensed small cell eNodeB maysend confirmation and the like as necessary to initiate communications.

Module 1005 operates to receive modified data transmissions from thesmall cell eNodeB. The modified data the transmissions have beenprocessed by the small cell eNodeB by substituting the original licensedair interface within the PHY layer with the unlicensed air interface. Inthe case described above, the small cell eNodeB replaces the LTE-A airinterface one of, e.g., 802.11ac, 802.11n, ISN air interface in its PHYlayer.

Those of skill in the art would understand that information and signalsmay be represented using any of a variety of different technologies andtechniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information,signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referenced throughout theabove description may be represented by voltages, currents,electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields orparticles, or any combination thereof.

Those of skill would further appreciate that the various illustrativelogical blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described inconnection with the disclosure herein may be implemented as electronichardware, computer software, or combinations of both. To clearlyillustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, variousillustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have beendescribed above generally in terms of their functionality. Whether suchfunctionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon theparticular application and design constraints imposed on the overallsystem. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality invarying ways for each particular application, but such implementationdecisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from thescope of the present disclosure.

The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits describedin connection with the disclosure herein may be implemented or performedwith a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), anapplication specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmablegate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate ortransistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combinationthereof designed to perform the functions described herein. Ageneral-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in thealternative, the processor may be any conventional processor,controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also beimplemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combinationof a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one ormore microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other suchconfiguration.

The steps of a method or algorithm described in connection with thedisclosure herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in a softwaremodule executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. Asoftware module may reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory,EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk, a removable disk, aCD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. Anexemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor such that theprocessor can read information from, and write information to, thestorage medium. In the alternative, the storage medium may be integralto the processor. The processor and the storage medium may reside in anASIC. The ASIC may reside in a user terminal. In the alternative, theprocessor and the storage medium may reside as discrete components in auser terminal.

In one or more exemplary designs, the functions described may beimplemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof.If implemented in software, the functions may be stored on ortransmitted over as one or more instructions or code on acomputer-readable medium. Computer-readable media includes both computerstorage media and communication media including any medium thatfacilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another. Astorage media may be any available media that can be accessed by ageneral purpose or special purpose computer. By way of example, and notlimitation, such computer-readable media can comprise RAM, ROM, EEPROM,CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or othermagnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carryor store desired program code means in the form of instructions or datastructures and that can be accessed by a general-purpose orspecial-purpose computer, or a general-purpose or special-purposeprocessor. Also, disk and disc, as used herein, includes compact disc(CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppydisk and blu-ray disc where disks usually reproduce data magnetically,while discs reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of theabove should also be included within the scope of computer-readablemedia.

The previous description of the disclosure is provided to enable anyperson skilled in the art to make or use the disclosure. Variousmodifications to the disclosure will be readily apparent to thoseskilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may beapplied to other variations without departing from the spirit or scopeof the disclosure. Thus, the disclosure is not intended to be limited tothe examples and designs described herein but is to be accorded thewidest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosedherein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A wireless communication method, the methodcomprising: receiving, at a small cell base station, a communication ona licensed band from a user equipment; based on the receivedcommunication, identifying, at the small cell base station, unlicensedbands available for communication between the small cell base stationand the user equipment; prioritizing, at the small cell base station,the identified unlicensed bands available for communication between thesmall cell base station and the user equipment; selecting, at the smallcell base station, an unlicensed band for communication with the userequipment based upon the prioritizing; and transmitting, from the smallcell base station to the user equipment, data on the selected unlicensedband using an LTE protocol.
 2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:re-prioritizing, at the small cell base station, at least one unlicensedband; and selecting, at the small cell base station, a second unlicensedband for communication based upon the re-prioritizing.
 3. The method ofclaim 1 further comprising: comparing characteristics of the selectedunlicensed band and a licensed band; and based upon the comparing,making a decision to communicate on one of the selected unlicensed bandor the licensed band.
 4. The method of claim 1 further comprisingoptimizing communication on the selected unlicensed band based on atleast one channel characteristic of the selected unlicensed band.
 5. Themethod of claim 1 further comprising optimizing communication on theselected unlicensed band based on at least one other device operating onthe selected unlicensed band.
 6. The method of claim 1 wherein theidentifying is based upon data received from a user equipment.
 7. Themethod of claim 1 wherein the identifying is based upon informationcollected at the small cell base station.
 8. The method of claim 1wherein the identifying is based upon information received from acontroller.
 9. An apparatus configured for wireless communication, theapparatus comprising: at least one processor; and a memory coupled tothe at least one processor, wherein the at least one processor isconfigured to: receive a communication on a licensed band from a userequipment; based on the received communication, identify unlicensedbands available for communication between the apparatus and the userequipment; prioritize the identified unlicensed bands available forcommunication between the apparatus and the user equipment; select anunlicensed band for communication with the user equipment based upon theprioritizing; and transmit, to the user equipment, data on the selectedunlicensed band using an LTE protocol.
 10. The apparatus of claim 9wherein the processor is further configured to re-prioritize at leastone unlicensed band; and select a second unlicensed band forcommunication based upon the re-prioritizing.
 11. The apparatus of claim9 wherein the processor is further configured to compare characteristicsof the selected unlicensed band and a licensed band; and based upon thecomparing, make a decision to communicate on one of the selectedunlicensed band or the licensed band.
 12. The apparatus of claim 9wherein the processor is further configured to optimize communication onthe selected unlicensed band based on at least one channelcharacteristic of the selected unlicensed band.
 13. The apparatus ofclaim 9 wherein the processor is further configured to optimizecommunication on the selected unlicensed band based on at least oneother device operating on the selected unlicensed band.
 14. Theapparatus of claim 9 wherein the identifying is based upon data receivedfrom a user equipment.
 15. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein theidentifying is based upon information collected at a small cell basestation.
 16. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the identifying is basedupon information received from a controller.
 17. The method of claim 1further comprising: aggregating, at the small cell base station, thelicensed band and the selected unlicensed band for communication withthe user equipment.
 18. The method of claim 1 wherein the selectedunlicensed band is in a 5 GHz band.
 19. The method of claim 1 whereinthe selected unlicensed band is in a 2.4 GHz band.